Life As I Know It

My Heart's On Fire

2012-01-27T06:09:00.001-07:00

photo here

I got an email yesterday from the Covey Center with a picture of these four guys and the announcement that they are coming soon!

I was a little confused, though. Because I know Dumbledore and Snape, but who are the other two?

Forgiveness Came

2012-01-25T07:04:00.001-07:00

Our kids got an awesome new work station for Christmas, a desk built along the entire length of one wall with nice, comfy office chairs to sit in as well.

For some reason, our youngest kids like to sit three to a chair. We told them over and over not to sit in the same chair (one on each arm, one in the seat) but they just didn't listen.

Until the chair broke.

The kids, knowing trouble was likely coming as a result of this, quickly drafted the following letter with Hubba spelling the words and he and Curly taking turns writing them out.

(Transcription, if needed: Dad PLese DONT Be MAD WE BROke THe DeSK CHAIR WE CRAKD THe SiDE WHeN ALL 3 of us were sitting on it we are so soory. HERE iS OUR MoNeY To BUY A NeW CHAIR WE WiLL WoRK AND EARN MORE MoNeY. We ARE So SoRY love Hubba Curly Little O)

How could anyone be mad after something as thoughtful and heartwarming as this? Disappointed, yes. But mad? Nope.

A Personal Reminder

2012-01-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

"There should be no yelling in the home unless there is a fire." -David O. McKay

Wise words from a wise man!

I found this quote online the other day and knew it was just the reminder I needed. I decided to make it into something I could print out and hang on my wall - but probably just where I can see it. Otherwise the kids would probably point at it all the time while glaring at me with accusing looks on their faces. I'm pretty sure that would be counter-productive.

All In A Day's Work

2012-01-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Little O's life is well described by the term chillaxin'.

His life consists of lounging around in his pajamas for most of the day, playing with Legos and blocks and cars and Woody and Buzz, watching movies, looking at books and convincing his parents and older siblings to tend to his every need by simply flashing his adorable smile or asking, "Pweeeeeze?" in his sweet little voice.

It's some pretty exhausting work for a 3-year-old, let me tell you.

Haunted House

2012-01-20T09:32:00.002-07:00

photo here

A couple of my kids have decided to tell all of the other kids that there are ghosts in our house. These ghosts apparently live in the basement and the upstairs bathroom. I have personally never seen or heard any of these ghosts and the kids spreading these ridiculous tales haven't either. But they've heard them. And they've just known the ghosts are there sometimes.

This has resulted in every kid under the age of 12 being scared to go down to the basement (where their bedrooms are, for crying out loud!) or into the bathroom unless someone is with them. Because somehow, the ghosts will not devour frightened children who travel in pairs. It is getting to the point where I am beyond frustration in dealing with this. I have tried reasoning with them, using solid arguments such as the following:

Kids: Baby X, you want to come down to the basement with me?

Me: WHAT?! He doesn't want to go down to the basement with you. Just go down there yourself! You're FINE!

Kids: I'm not going down there alone.

Me: And how is Baby X going to help you? Is he going to fight off these imaginary ghosts? Are you going to hold him in front of you so he'll be attacked first? This is ridiculous! THERE ARE NO GHOSTS DOWN THERE.

Kids: There are.

Me: Has anything happened to anyone who has been in the basement alone in the 15 years we've lived in this house? EVER? No! So, what are you scared of?

Kids: The ghost.

Me: WHAT GHOST?! There is NO ghost!

Kids: Cowgirl heard it once.

Me: No she didn't! She heard the water going through the pipes or someone walking on the floorboards upstairs or the wind outside. There are no ghosts! Ghosts don't exist! The only thing in the basement is your bedrooms, a bathroom and the washer and dryer!

Kids: Ghosts like to hide.

Me: There are NO ghosts hiding in our basement. What do you think these imaginary ghosts are going to do to you?

Kid 1: Scare us.
Kid 2: Or eat us.
Kid 3: Or get inside our bodies.

Me: WHAT are you even talking about?!

Kids: That's what ghosts do.

Me: Maybe it's a ghost like Casper. Maybe it's a friendly ghost!

Kids: HA! So you ADMIT there's a ghost!

Me: No! There's not... I meant... Oh, forget it.

And then there's the issue of using the upstairs bathroom. Little O was all potty trained and never had any accidents. Until Princess decided to freak out one day and tell all the kids that there is now a ghost in the upstairs bathroom. The result? NO ONE WILL GO IN THERE WITHOUT A COMPANION. In the bathroom. Come on! Yesterday I made it a point to not let anyone accompany anyone else into the bathroom. I wanted them to see that they could use the toilet without company and return to the rest of the family, unscathed, and without any ghost sightings.

Here's how that went.

Little O: I gotta go to the baftroom lilly, lilly bad!!

Me: GO! GO! You know how! Get in there!

Little O: I too scared! You come wif me!

Me: You can do it, Little O! You're a big boy!

Little O: (doing The Dance) I GOTTA GO LILLY, LILLY BAD!

Me: HURRY! GO!

Little O: PRINCESS! COME WIF ME!

Me: He can go himself, Princess. Let him go himself.

Princess: But the ghost!

Me: PRINCESS! There is NO GHOST.

Little O: I too SCARED! (Looks down) Uh-oh...

After 3 changes of clothes, I had had enough. I let him have a bathroom buddy and pretended not to notice.

All I can do is hope this is a phase they are going to grow out of. Either that or I'm going to be stuck in a haunted house for as long as I still have kids at home. And friends, that's a mighty long time.

On The Phone

2012-01-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

photo here

The following phone conversation really occurred. I have changed the name of the caller to protect his identity.

Me: Hello?

Coal S. Mountain: Hey, Sister B., this is Coal S. Mountain. How are you?

Me: I'm good. How about you?

CSM: I'm good. (nervous laughter) So, I wanted to ask your permission to take your daughter on a date this Thursday, January twelfth at around 6:30 in the evening or so.

Me: Well, I appreciate you asking but I guess it depends on what are you going to be doing for this date?

CSM: Oh. Well, (nervous laughter) we will actually be going to be a part of a protest.

Me: You want to take ElemenoB to a protest? That sounds like a pretty exciting date.

CSM: (nervous laughter) Yes, it probably will be.

Me: Can you tell me more about this? Like, what will you be protesting?

CSM: It's a protest on the government. They want to move part of the river and that means people can't do any more fishing in some places... and other stuff. And they're taking away some business, too. It's just a bad idea. (nervous laughter) Yeah.

Me: So, I assume there will be more protesters there besides you and ElemenoB?

CSM: Yeah. For sure. Unless someone's playing a really good joke on us. But yes, I believe there will be other people. Lots of other people there.

Me: And what is the likelihood that you'll be hauled off to jail because of this protest?

CSM: Oh, no, I'm pretty sure no one's going to jail. But if she does get put in jail, let me just say I apologize in advance.

Me: Actually, the proper thing to say would be, "If ElemenoB is put in jail, I will foot her bail and remain her friend for life to offset the stigma that a jail record can carry, such as not being accepted to colleges or getting gainful employment."

CSM: Oh, yeah - of course. I will totally bail her out of jail and be her friend.

Me: Well, when you put it all that way, how can I say no?

CSM: You really can't.

Me: I'll tell you what. That would probably be okay unless I look at our calendar and see something else is happening that night. Or if I think it over and something doesn't seem right, I'll let you know.

CSM: If you could call and let me know as soon as possible, that would be great.

Me: Sounds good. Will do. Thanks for the call, Coal S. Mountain.

CSM: Yeah, you have a good day, Sister B.

Me: You, too, Coal.

Happy Camper

2012-01-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

For many years now I have been attending camp with the young women (age 12-18) in our area. I have been an assistant camp director in the past and, in more recent years, a camp committee member. A few months ago I was thanked for my service and wished good luck in any new endeavors. I was a little sad about this (okay, a LOT sad) but I figured it was time to give someone else a chance to experience the awesomeness involved with going up to camp with the young women in our neighborhood.

I may have sulked a little bit. But then! THEN!! Not too long ago I was asked to be the camp director for my church congregation.

I am not even kidding, you guys. I AM THE CAMP DIRECTOR. You know what this means, right?

Dreams really do come true.

Quick Quips

2012-01-09T08:53:00.001-07:00

Hubba: See that dot at the end of the sentence? That means it's done.
Curly: Right. It's called a pyramid.

Little O: I wanna pway at Rango's house!

Curly: You can't. Because Rango's not real.

Little O: Yuh-huh! He's real on my TV!

Little O: I don't like ANY beans. But Jesus likes SOME-beans. We singed it at my church class.

Little O's friend: The mom in Tangled is scary.
Little O: Yeah, my mom is scary, too.

Allen: Okay, everyone. Stop teasing All-a-Boy.
Princess: (in a sing-songy tone of voice) All-a-Boy is Barbie's boyfriend! Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!
Allen: Princess, what did I just say?
Princess: You said to start teasing All-a-Boy.
Allen: I said to stop teasing him.
Princess: Oh. Oops.

Shout Out!

2012-01-05T13:01:00.001-07:00

Today I present you with a list of places/things that I would gladly recommend. You know, just in case you were wondering.

LOCALS:
Have any of you who live in my neck of the woods eaten at La Jolla Groves? Oh, my goodness gracious - you must. This restaurant is our new favorite and I can not say enough good things about it. The food is freshly made, the produce used is locally grown and the portions are perfect. I have eaten there at least a dozen times and tried a new dish each time. I have never eaten anything that I do not LOVE. If you want something light, just get some soup and you'll still leave happy. And guess what? It gets even better. DESSERTS. Oh, yeah, baby. They have an incredible variety of desserts. And here's my insiders secret for you. The dessert menu is only a small portion of what's available. Take a look in their bakery before you order dessert because there's a whole plethora of deliciousness in there. My recommendations would be either the coconut cream pie (I have never in my life had better), the fruit tarts (a perfect little sweet to end your meal) or the monster cookie (I'm not sure what's in it but it's awesome). Go check out La Jolla Groves - but you don't have to tell them I sent you because they'd be like, who?

INTERNETS:
I know I've mentioned it before, but along the lines of good food, this is still my favorite blog on healthier eating - Word of Wisdom Living. The writer of the blog, Skip, suggests 52 simple Healthy Changes (one each week) you can make in your life to start eating better. I have always had the desire to get my family eating healthier - but there are so many rules I know we should follow and things I know we need to put effort into in order to really make this happen. It can be overwhelming and frustrating. This blog has been an inspiration toward helping my family live a healthier lifestyle. In Skip's own words, "The Healthy Changes are like resolutions, but better—they're done continuously, all year long, one each week." Seriously, go check it out.

SOCKS:
You know I'm a sock fanatic, right? Well, this will prove my craziness. I read somewhere online about these socks that cost around $15 a pair and I thought, "I'm not that crazy." Well, it turns out I actually am. I read a bunch of online reviews about these socks and I couldn't resist trying a pair. If you love socks, or even if you don't, you have to try SmartWool socks. They are comfy, cushiony and (if you like) colorful. I'm in sock-love.

BABIES:
If you have a baby who is eating real food you need Munchkin Fresh Food Feeders. They look like this:
and they are fantastic. You can slice up some apples or pears or carrots or whatever your baby wants to eat but you're afraid they'll choke on and slide a piece into the mesh pocket. Snap it closed, hand it to baby and VOILA! you're both happy. I need to go get me some more of these. If you want to give them a try, too - check your local Target or order them online at Amazon.

*No one asked me to write this post or compensated me in any way. I just really, really love these places/things and think they deserve a shout-out. Plus I've seen these kind of disclaimers on other blogs and I thought it would make me look cool to add it.

Twenty Twelve

2012-01-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

This year is going to be an eventful one for our family!

Allen and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary.

I'm going to be celebrating 40 years of life on this planet and seeing my first published writing.

Coolister will be leaving to serve a 2-year mission for our church.

ElemenoB will be a senior in high school and turn 18 - technically an adult.

Thumbelina will turn 16 and be old enough to drive and date.

Hubba will be turning the magical age of 8 which means he'll be getting baptized.

Curly is FINALLY going to start kindergarten! (She's been ready for this for about 3 years now. I'm pretty sure she could act as a substitute teacher if hers is ever gone.)

Little O had his first week at church as a Sunbeam yesterday. He is growing up much too quickly.

And that's just the stuff that we actually know about. (Well, that and the end of the world on December 12.) Who knows what other adventures and surprises 2012 could have in store? I think it's going to be a great year.

Bringing Sunshine Since 2003

2012-01-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago, on January 1, 2003, our Princess was born. She was the second New Year's baby born in our local hospital even though she didn't arrive until around one in the afternoon. (Apparently everyone was trying to have their babies induced the night before and only one held out until after the new year rang in.)

She has always had this beautiful, contagious smile that just lights up a room like sunshine.

Princess can be ultra-sensitive at times, but that's because she's just a tender-hearted sweetie.

Her manner of speaking, her kind nature and her helpful attitude are just some of the things I love about our Princess.

She is the kind of girl who is a friend to everyone in her classes at school and church because she has a natural ability to love others for who they are.

Princess has told me that her name needs to be changed on my blog because she's "not really into Princess stuff anymore." When I asked what she is into, she named things like Harry Potter, reading and 'spy stuff'.

She loves to make that face up there. Like, all the time.

We are so lucky to have this darling girl in our family! Happy birthday, Princess.

Sew Awesome

2011-12-31T06:32:00.001-07:00

Thumbelina has been taking sewing classes at the high school. This year she made a coat for a competition called "Make It With Wool". She had been working on it at school, so I wasn't able to see it until it was almost finished. And when I saw it... holy cow! I was SO impressed. Not only is it awesome from the outside, the inside is fully lined!

I mean, seriously - check out how nice that looks!

Gorgeous! And probably her favorite feature is the ability to instantly become a Jedi when necessary:

She took 2nd place in the sewing competition with this coat. I can't wait to see how she does next year.

About a week before Christmas break, Thumbelina mentioned that she'd like to make Christmas gifts for all of her siblings. She was still working on her last one on Christmas Eve, but she did it! Want to see what she created? I thought you'd never ask!

ElemenoB got this reversible shoulder bag which was crafted from an old sheet and pillowcase found at our local secondhand store. (If you're interested in actually making this, Thumbelina's version has a longer strap.)

Thumbelina made Princess this adorable pleated wrap-around skirt.

Every superhero needs a cape, so naturally that's what Little O received.

Mom! Take anudder pitchur of me wif my gun!

Well, okay, since you're so stinkin' adorable...

Curly got a cute tiered skirt to wear with her favorite leggings.

Cowgirl was gifted some much-needed new pajama pants made from the perfect western-themed flannel. (McCalls pattern #8434)

And the oldest 3 boys got ties. (The links are for 2 different tie patterns depending on the size of person you are making it for.)

Incidentally, I can not even begin to express how difficult it was to get these three bozos to stand still long enough to take a picture. They kept wanting to cross their eyes or throw me a creepy gaze or jump in the air or some such thing. I finally got them to just be normal for half a second with the promise of taking this next picture, too:

(You're welcome.)

Nice job, Thumbelina! You put my sewing skills to shame.

Good Thinking

2011-12-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

This print can be ordered here

Since Christmas the kids have been pretty much glued to the Wii controllers and the computer screen. So after lunch yesterday I declared our house an electronics-free zone. "Go do something creative that does not involve electronics!" I announced.

The kids asked:

"Can I paint a picture?"

"Can I play in the backyard?"

"Can I ride my bike?"

"Can I build my train set?"

"Can I make cookies?"

"Can I search out the true location of Sasquatch?"

I answered every question with a resounding YES. And I made the last kid take her camera along - you know, just in case.

Tales From The Fridge

2011-12-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

One Sunday me and my sister named Cowgirl had very loose teeth. then me and her bumped our heads togeather, and our teeth came out. then the tooth fairy came and gave us both one dollor. The End

~Princess, Age 8

One-derful

2011-12-28T10:14:00.001-07:00

Guess who turned one yesterday?

Our cute little caboose.

And what a wonderful year it has been with him in our lives!

It is amazing to watch time just fly past right before your eyes.

It's hard to believe it was a whole year ago when this picture was taken...

But look at him now!

Like all one-year-olds, he keeps us on our toes. He climbs, tastes, explores, walks, laughs, sings and dances.

He is growing up much too quickly! We all adore this baby boy.

Penguins Do, Too. Who Knew?

2011-12-27T22:13:00.002-07:00

We get a new set of ornaments each year from Allen's mom - one for each person in our family. It's a fun tradition and one that I'm sure the kids will appreciate even more once they leave home and get to take their collection with them.

This year we got some cute penguins dressed in winter garb. Little O has been obsessed with putting ornaments on our tree so we let him put these on for us. At first they were hung so low from the lowest branches that each one touched the floor beneath the tree. We left them there, knowing he would be rearranging them often.

A few days later, I found them arranged on our bookshelf near a small picture of the temple where Allen and I were married:

I asked Little O what the penguins were doing there instead of on the tree.

"Dey lub to see da tem-po!" he told me in his matter-of-fact little voice. "Dey jus lilly, lilly lub to see it." *

We left them there, next to the nativity, for the rest of the Christmas season.

* Translation of 3-year-old speak, for those who need it:
"They love to see the temple! They just really, really love to see it."

Laughing Out Loud

2011-12-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

picture here

Today's post is something that I read online. It made me chuckle, giggle and even literally LOL.

For your reading pleasure, here are 54 of the best/worst similes, metaphors and analogies I have ever laid eyes on.

Enjoy!

Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.
He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.
Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.
The lamp just sat there, like an inanimate object.
McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.
He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.
Even in his last years, Grand pappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
He felt like he was being hunted down like a dog, in a place that hunts dogs, I suppose.
She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.
She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.
It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the period after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can.
Her eyes were like limpid pools, only they had forgotten to put in any pH cleanser.
Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life was a movie this guy would be buried in the credits as something like “Second Tall Man.”
The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.
The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon.
She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from screen doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again.
Her pants fit her like a glove, well, maybe more like a mitten, actually.
Fishing is like waiting for something that does not happen very often.
They were as good friends as the people on “Friends.”
Oooo, he smells bad, she thought, as bad as Calvin Klein’s Obsession would smell if it were called Enema and was made from spoiled Spamburgers instead of natural floral fragrances.
The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) in her first several points of parliamentary procedure made to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton.
He was as bald as one of the Three Stooges, either Curly or Larry, you know, the one who goes woo woo woo.
The sardines were packed as tight as the coach section of a 747.
Her eyes were shining like two marbles that someone dropped in mucus and then held up to catch the light.
The baseball player stepped out of the box and spit like a fountain statue of a Greek god that scratches itself a lot and spits brown, rusty tobacco water and refuses to sign autographs for all the little Greek kids unless they pay him lots of drachmas.
I felt a nameless dread. Well, there probably is a long German name for it, like Geschpooklichkeit or something, but I don’t speak German. Anyway, it’s a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. I don’t know the name for those either.
She was as unhappy as when someone puts your cake out in the rain, and all the sweet green icing flows down and then you lose the recipe, and on top of that you can’t sing worth a damn.
Her artistic sense was exquisitely refined, like someone who can tell butter from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.
It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.
You know how in “Rocky” he prepares for the fight by punching sides of raw beef? Well, yesterday it was as cold as that meat locker he was in.
The dandelion swayed in the gentle breeze like an oscillating electric fan set on medium.
Her lips were red and full, like tubes of blood drawn by an inattentive phlebotomist.
The sunset displayed rich, spectacular hues like a .jpeg file at 10 percent cyan, 10 percent magenta, 60 percent yellow and 10 percent black.

(These were submissions for some sort of contest at the Washington Post back in 1999.)

It's The Little Things

2011-12-24T22:08:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it doesn't take much at all to just make me smile. Like friends who know me well enough to bring by a treat like this, just for me:

Or a card as hilariously hideous as this:

Or a pair of awesome bootish-socks with SOLES! like these:

Kind messages in my inbox, pictures and Christmas greetings in my mailbox:

Spending time with my family every year on Christmas Eve:

and watching cousins (along with my Mom) having a blast together:

The Santa at the grocery store tonight who took the time to talk to my wide-eyed Little O without being asked (I wish I had my camera with me!) even though he probably just wanted to buy his Diet Coke and Wheat Thins and get home to Mrs. Claus.

It's the little things that make me happy during the holidays.

I hope your Christmas (and beyond) is filled with lots of Little Things.

Christmas Alien

2011-12-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning Cowgirl came to me with a sparkle in her eye. The kind of sparkle that tells me she's up to something.

"Mom, can you give me alien ears?" ('Alien ears' is the term that my oldest two girls created to describe a bun of twisted hair on each side of the top of the head.)

Once the alien ears were in place she asked, "Now could you make my bangs go straight up or something?" I asked why she wanted such a schnazzy hairdo. She told me that it was the school's Christmas Sing-In and that her class was going to be singing a song called I Want An Alien For Christmas.

I asked her, "So, everyone's coming to school as aliens for your song?"

"Um, no. I just want to do it for fun."

Well, how could I say no to that? I sent her off to school looking like this:

But this is not the end of the story. When I picked the kids up after school I asked Cowgirl how the Sing-In went. She gave me a sheepish grin and said, "Well... it actually wasn't today. I thought it was, but it's not until Wednesday." I asked if she explained the reason why her hair was so awesome but she said she just told people she was trying out a new style.

This morning, the REAL day for the Sing-In, she had a new hair-plan. "Can you make me look like I have antennas?"

You bet I can.

Looks like we're getting our own alien for Christmas.

Quick Quips

2011-12-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

From the mouths of my kids...

Mom? Aw you may-king tow-nadoes for dee-ner?

Some days I wish I didn't have to go to school. But some days I wish I was a tow truck.

(Overheard at church) Before my mom and dad lived in a house they really lived in a hotel room or a car. I can't remember which one. But they really lived in it, with like 8 of their kids. And Santa still found them for Christmas. Or wait... maybe that was in a movie.

If #2 pencils are so great then why aren't they called #1 pencils?

If my presents were stolen at Christmas, I'd cry. But then I'd search the whole city until the robber was found and tell him, "YOU BIG JERK!"

How much cents did our house cost? Was it 100?

Did you see what Baby X just did? I think he's starting to get real brains now!

Little O: Santa going a bwing me my bike-a-my-Crissmiss!
Me: How do you know?
Little O: A-cuz Santa is my friend!

Change For A Dollar

2011-12-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

It doesn't take much to make a difference.

What kind of change could you make with a dollar?

Mind Blather

2011-12-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Image Credit: L.Vazquez/Gulf News

As has become an annual tradition, I took ElemenoB shopping for her birthday last month. We enjoyed perusing the racks at various places and found a few great things to add to her wardrobe. In fact, we even found a new second-hand store that had some great things available at amazing prices.

The only problem was the music (if you could call it that) that they chose to play in this particular store. I am guessing that, in order to be a hip place to shop (does anyone say 'hip' anymore?) they felt that they needed to play what I consider to be offensive.

I'm talking about songs that are completely (and blatantly) talking about sex or sexual innuendo. And the majority of people shopping here were girls my daughter's age. It made me feel sick.

Do people really not listen to what's being played on the overhead speakers? Even when it's so loud you can hardly have a conversation? I was happy to leave. The merchandise was great, the prices were awesome - but the atmosphere that the inappropriate 'music' created cancelled those out.

I'm thinking a friendly email to the store is in order - because I'd love to shop there again, but not if the offensive mind-blather is coursing through my eardrums. If that's the dynamic they're catering to then I really shouldn't be shopping there, anyway.

Awesome Artwork

2011-12-11T19:26:00.002-07:00

How The Dinosaur Got A Drink
(crayon on printer paper)

By Hubba

Christmas Coloring

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Curly would color, paint and create pictures from the moment she woke up until the moment her eyes closed for the night if we let her.

Here is what my fridge looks like on any given day:

Every 10 or 15 minutes she presents me with one of her masterpieces and says with excitement, "I made this for you, Mom!" How can I say no? Yesterday she gave me no less than 30 pictures. I asked her, "Sweetheart, if I kept every picture you ever made for me, what do you think our house would like like?" Her eyes got huge and she answered,

"Pretty awesome!"

It was getting to the point where I knew we needed to either wallpaper the house or channel her creativity into something constructive. I found some color-able Christmas clipart and made some simple cards on the computer, printed them off, cut them out, and now she's coloring to her heart's content with a purpose.

Once she's finished enough of them I'm planning to take her over to the neighborhood Elderly Care Center to deliver her cards to each of the residents there.

She also plans to write notes inside and mail a custom-made Christmas card to a few people. (She's making a list.)

She's happy coloring, I'm happy that it has a purpose, and the people who get them will be happy, too.

Quick Quips: Teenager Version

2011-12-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Here I am, hard at work.

I had the chance to spend 4 days with Thumbelina and her high school's cross country team last week as a chaperone on a trip to California. I forget how fun teenagers can be. (Seriously!) On the bus ride there, I overheard all sorts of funny conversations going on... so I got my notebook out and started taking notes for the duration of the trip.

These quotes came from the mouths of teenagers from all over Utah - we shared buses with quite a few teams.

Enjoy!

I wish I could speak that language that sounds like spitting and clicks.

Boys are so dumb. All they want to do is eat, sleep and make girls feel awkward.

Sometimes I wish my parents weren't such old people!

When people say "fat lard", that doesn't make any sense. Isn't that like saying "fat fat"?

Something's wrong with my cell phone - it doesn't have your number in it.

I do too know what Humble Pie is! I eat some every morning!

It must be your bedtime because everything you're saying sounds like Japanese.

Teen Boy #1: How many people do you think it would take to break this elevator?
Teen Boy #2: Let's find out!

Remember how yesterday I told you I had a boyfriend? Well, now I don't. So do you want my number?

Teen Boy #1: (loudly) People who got a problem with watching John Wayne movies got them a real serious problem.
Teen Boy #2: (quietly) And apparently people who do watch John Wayne movies have a problem with putting a real sentence together.

Teen Girl: One thing I learned at Disneyland is that Mickey Mouse is so much huger in real life than he is in movies!
Teen Boy: Did you also notice that in real life he's a person in a costume and in movies he's a cartoon drawing?

I would rather pull out my eyeballs and float them in arsenic.

Do my lips feel chapped to you?

Teen Boy: Hey everyone! The bus driver and I both got naked at the gas station!
Bus Driver: ...
Teen Boy: (holds up Naked brand drink) Right?

And here are a few 'Only A Utah Teen Would Say That' quips:

I got some hot chocolate at a gas station once and then I was SO self-conscious about carrying around a coffee cup! I mean, what if someone thought I was really drinking coffee?!

He's the kind of person they give all those conference talks about.

Teen Girl to Teen Boy: I can't wait to have a bunch of kids someday!

That's What It's All About

2011-12-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

When I get too caught up in buying gifts and making treats and all of the busy hustle and bustle that surrounds the Christmas season I start feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with all of the emphasis on materialism.

This is what brings me true happiness at this time of year.

I try to bring the true meaning and spirit of Christmas into our home each year - but it is so easy to become distracted.

I would love it if you would share with me in the comments what traditions you have in your home to help focus on the 'Christ' part of Christmas.

PAH!

2011-11-30T07:42:00.004-07:00

pic here

My friend Michelle issued a challenge to blog everyday in November, and I did it. I DID IT! It's a funny thing, but when I am forced to write every day it actually triggers some sort of thinking mechanism that makes it easier to come up with things to write about by the end of the month.

Here are the final 6 things I am thankful for - one for each day of this month.

25. Words! And the ability to speak and write them in some coherent fashion. The more words I've got in my arsenal, the easier it is to say what I'm trying to say.

26. The grocery store and the truckers who bring the stuff there and the people who sell it to the companies that ship it through the truckers who bring it to my grocery store. Then all I have to do is hop in my car and buy it. I bet the pioneers would have thought that was awesome. Or lazy.

27. Christmas spirit. It brings out the best in (most) people and makes good things happen.

28. My kids' friends. They are good kids who come from good families. I'm thankful for them - and I like them. Really.

29. Inspiration. From books, talks, friends, family, songs, church leaders, quotes, etc. It helps keep me going in the right direction. It brings me encouragement, peace and happiness.

30. American Sign Language. If you don't know it, you should. It is an amazingly expressive language that comes in handy more than you'd think. If you do know ASL, the title of this blog post was for you. Isn't the picture that goes with it perfect?

I am also thankful for people who read my blog. It's nice to know that people like what I have to say enough to come back for more. Thanks, friends!

I Like You. Really.

2011-11-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Some of my children have informed me at different times that their friends are either scared of me or think that I don't like them. I'm not sure why this is. I can't really think of many of my kids' friends that I don't like.

I'm going to be traveling as a chaperone with Thumbelina and the cross country team on a trip soon and I was thinking of what I could do so that the kids won't think I'm some meanie-pants parent. I thought maybe I could make myself a shirt that gets the message across for me.

First I came up with this:

but it seemed a bit creepy.

So I thought something like this might get the message across:

except that sometimes I am scary. And I don't want to be a liar. I mean, have you ever seen the way my nostrils flare when I laugh? Or my stalker-smile? Scary.

Well, how about this one?
Nah. More lies.

Well, this one would dispel any worries about my not liking them, right?

But that didn't seem subtle enough. And a bit too needy.

So I finally decided it would be more fun to just mess with them and wear something like this:

Maybe they're right. Maybe I am just scary.

Reunions

2011-11-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

There is something about family that just becomes ingrained in you. Their faces, the memories, everything is somehow etched upon your heart and stored away in the attic of your mind in a way that time has no power over the bond that was forged.

Last week was a week of reunions.

My Aunt Bonnie was reunited with her husband after 20 long years apart from each other. Just the thought of that brings emotion to the surface for me. Words can not describe how I love those two.

The gathering for Aunt Bonnie's funeral service was a reunion as well. I am not sure how to explain the happiness that came in seeing each of my Blitsch cousins again. It didn't matter that it has been such a long, long time since we've had the chance to visit. As I met their kids, laughed, cried and shared memories I just reveled in the feeling of belonging. It was wonderful to be a part of something that I didn't realize I had missed for so long.

When it was time to go our separate ways I was filled with melancholy because I knew that the chances of seeing any of them again were small. I wanted to stay longer, learn more about what they think and do and who they are. I thought about taking pictures at the funeral service and the gathering for lunch afterward but somehow it felt like taking pictures would rob the moment. I don't know how to explain that - I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I preferred to work at capturing each person in my memory, I suppose.

I have thought of each of them every day since, with hope for another reunion in this lifetime.

Overheard

2011-11-27T06:19:00.001-07:00

picture here

I was not sure what to write about today so I just started transcribing a conversation between two of my kids. Any guesses as to which two kids are having this conversation? First one to guess correctly wins.

I'm going to mix up the whole thing.
That's impossible. Like Rubik's Cubes, if you twist one of the corners it is impossible to do.
You would know that.
I do know that. Because I've done it before. And it screws people up and it's hilarious. Okay, now do it.
I AM doing it.
No you're not. Why is the 1 down there?
Holy cow! I am doing it.
The 1 goes on top.
So?
Now the 3 and the 4.
Goodness! I'm going to do it backwards in a different way.
That doesn't make sense.
Stop talking.
Put the 4 on the top!
No. Oh, my gosh!
Here, Nub (headless Barbie) will help you. Nuuuub. Nuuuub. Nub, nub. Whoa! Look at this. Nub is backwards. Nuuuuub! Dude, her waist turns way too easily.
STOP!
Nuuuub. Look. It's a nub-stand. Nub-stand! You can't even get the 4 up.
It's all in order. That's what you said.
Put the 12 up there.
It's in ORDER!
15 up. 12 over. 9 down. 11 over. 14 up. 9 over. I'm legitimately trying to get this right. 13, 12, okay, keep going...
Never mind. It will never work. It's like the Rubik's Cube. Mom, you should buy me a Rubik's Cube. 4 by 4. 5 by 5. (whispered) 5...by...5! It's only $25.32. Mom, do you love me $30?
Look, Nub can do the splits.
Are you writing what I'm saying? STOP WRITING WHAT I'M SAYING!

Ignorance Is Bliss

2011-11-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

I was able to attend the funeral service for my sweet Aunt Bonnie this week. My favorite part of the whole experience was getting to see my cousins (her kids) who I haven't been able to visit with in 20+ years. Funerals are really reunions, aren't they? My cousin Scott was as crazy as ever (just the way I love him) and at one point I confessed the following story from my childhood:

Scott and his wife used to have me come and babysit their daughter, Heather (now age 28! Man, am I OLD!) while they would go out for the night. They would always tell me to help myself to anything in the kitchen, so like any young babysitter, I would scout the goods and then decide what I was going to help myself to. On one occasion, the pickings were slim.

I started to pull things out of the freezer in hopes of discovering a stray popsicle or ice cream sandwich when I found a small white box. I was instantly interested in what this box could contain and opened it up to peer inside.

It was a cake! A small white cake with pretty silver candy balls and lacy-looking frosting. Why in the world would they be hiding this in the back of the freezer? And then it occurred to me - they weren't hiding it! They didn't want it.

I found a fork and took a small bite. It was wonderful. I had another few bites and then decided to box it back up and set it back where I had found it - just in case.

The next time I came to babysit I checked the freezer immediately. The box was still there! I took it out and ate a bit more this time then again set it back in the freezer behind the frozen vegetables and pot pies. They never said a word.

Over time, I ate that entire cake. Man, was it ever delicious.

It didn't occur to me until many years later, when I learned of the tradition of saving the top tier of your wedding cake and eating it on your first anniversary, that I realized what I had done.

I kept that secret all these years and finally was able to confess my deed to Scott. He threw his head back and laughed. And later, when we were saying our goodbyes, gave me a big hug, kissed me on the cheek and said, "I'm glad you liked that cake, Gerberta. I'm so glad you enjoyed that whole cake."

Me, too.

Knowledge Is The Key

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

photo from ehow.com

If you have read my posts over at Four Perspectives, this story may sound familiar. It is a post I wrote in November of 2009 but I thought it was worth reposting here.

Yesterday I had to run some errands at a local SuperStore. As I exited my car and tried to shove my keys into my purse I discovered that they would not fit. The keys were so bulky that I could not get them to fit inside my pockets, either. Dumb keys, I thought to myself as I threw them into the child-seat of my shopping cart.

Once my purchases were complete I made my exit. As I approached the corral for the shopping carts in the parking lot I noticed a man in tattered clothes sifting through a trash can there.

"You have a Merry Christmas!" he said to me, smiling. I grabbed my purchases from my cart, responded with, "You too!" and pushed my cart into the corral, hurrying towards my car.

I heard a voice from behind me.

"Miss! Wait! Miss!" the man called after me. I glanced over my shoulder and confirmed that it was the poorly dressed man who had just wished me a merry Christmas. To be honest, I was initially a bit frightened. Why was this man rushing towards me? Was he going to ask for money? Should I hurry to my car and get inside?

I stopped near my car, turning to face him. "Yes?" I asked, still somewhat nervous as to his intentions.

"You left your keys in the cart," he said as he handed them to me, still smiling.

I sighed. I was grateful and told him so.

"I used to have keys," he told me. "I remember how much I hated to lose them."

In that moment it seemed as if a million questions passed through my mind. What had happened to bring him to his current state? Did he lose his job? Did he have a home somewhere? A family? What sorts of locks did he open with the keys he no longer had now?

But before I could say another word, he was walking away. "You have a good day, now," he said with a sideways wave.

"Thanks again. Thanks so much," I called after him.

I looked at my keys. Keys to my car(s!) and my home; keys to closets and safes. So many keys. Keys that I complain about when really, each key represents a comfort or blessing in my life.

I had never been so thankful for a bulky set of keys.

And thankful to the man who reminded me that I take too much for granted.

Ten More Things

2011-11-24T07:28:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is filled with good people, plentiful blessings and loads of pie topped with freshly whipped cream.

Here are ten more things that I am thankful for...

15. Socks! They add that little bit of crazy to any outfit and keep my toes warm and happy.

16. Andes Mints. I have just rediscovered these and I can't get enough of them!

17. Books. Love them!

18. The company Allen works for. It is seriously the best place in the world to work. They are family-oriented and treat their employees very, very well.

19. Hats. They make bad hair days much more bearable.

20. Great deals and amazing bargains! I totally get an adrenaline rush when I save money on something that was needed. (And even when I find something that is not needed.)

21. My healthy body. When I think of all of the intricacies involved in the creation of the human body my mind is blown.

22. Tender mercies. You realize that they happen all the time when you make the time to recognize them in your life.

23. The four seasons. I have my favorites (head nod to spring and autumn) but I love living in a place where the seasons change so I can experience all of the beauty that comes with each one.

24. Mail. I can't say enough how great it is to get handwritten cards in my mailbox! It's becoming a lost art.

Butternut Squash Soup

2011-11-23T08:42:00.007-07:00

I had never seen a butternut squash before a couple of weeks ago. So when a neighbor gave us a few of them my initial thought was what am I going to do with this? I decided to make good use of this gift by looking it up online. I could not believe all of the recipes I found using this squash! Butternut Squash Soup by far sounded the best, so I made some. I did quite a bit of tweaking of the recipe to fit what I thought sounded good and it turned out pretty amazing.

Everyone loved it, even Little O who won't eat a vegetable for anything.

Want to see how simple it is? I thought you'd never ask!

By the way, this makes an enormous pot of soup.

First of all you halve two good sized butternut squash and scoop out all of the seeds and gunk.
Set each of the four halves on baking sheets,
cover them with foil and bake them at 350 degrees for about an hour (until the squash is soft).
While the squash is cooking, make the broth mixture. Dice up an onion.
Melt the butter (this butter is so happy to be a part of such tasty soup!)
in a large pot, then add onion and sautee until the onion is tender.
Next you'll add the chicken broth. The kind I bought (at the Dollar Store!) came in a package marked as 'four one cup servings', so I just dumped in one whole container
then measured out the rest of what I needed from another container.
Measure out the marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper
and add them to the broth.
(It's a tiny amount of cayenne but it gives it a tiny bit of kick that someone like me, who doesn't like anything spicy, could appreciate. If you like spicy stuff you may want to add more.)
Bring it all to a boil then turn off the burner and cover the pot until the squash is done.
Scoop the squash out of its shell with a spoon.
Here's the total amount of squash-meat I scraped from the 4 halves:
For the next step, I dumped all of the broth into a pitcher so it would be easier to add to the squash in the blender.
Puree portions of the squash with some of the broth and some of the whipping cream (just eyeball it. It's all going to end up in the soup, anyway).
(Side note: It adds some texture to the soup if you don't blend up all of the onions. Just remove them from the broth with a slotted spoon and return them to the pot. We've tried it both ways and prefer a few chunks of onion throughout the soup.)
Return the pureed goodness to the pot and heat everything through. (Don't let it boil.)
Serve it up with some sour cream (optional) and crusty bread. (Also optional. But why wouldn't you?)

(It's easy to make the sour cream look fancy as in the picture at the top of this post. Just scoop some into a sandwich baggie
and snip a tiny corner off then squeeze it onto the soup in whatever cool pattern you like.)

This is the perfect fall/winter soup. Delish!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 onion, chopped
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 large butternut squash
6+ cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 pint whipping cream

1. Cut each squash in half and scoop out the seeds and gunk. Place all 4 halves on baking sheets and cover with foil, bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour (or until squash is soft).

2. While squash is cooking, saute onions in butter in a large pot until tender. Add chicken broth, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil then turn off the burner and cover the pot until the squash is done.

3. Puree squash, broth and whipping cream in a blender in batches until smooth. Return pureed goodness to the pot and heat everything through. (Do not let it boil.) If it seems too thick, add a little more chicken broth to the pureed mixture.

4. Top with sour cream if that sounds good to you, then serve it up with some crusty sourdough bread or homemade rolls.

Things I'm Worried I Forgot

2011-11-22T07:05:00.001-07:00

Once Coolister left for college I started to worry that I might have forgotten to teach him certain things. In fact, things kept coming to mind at random times and I would think - Does Coolister know that? Did we teach him that? So I started to write them down in a notebook I keep in my purse.

Here is the list so far...

-If something sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.

-Always open doors for females, it doesn't matter what age they are.

-Say 'Thank you' often!

-Righty=tighty, lefty=loosey.

-Shepherd's Pie is super easy but a lot more healthy than Ramen. (Layer ground meat, spaghetti sauce, potatoes then cheese.)

-Be a friend to everyone, even the jerks.

-Always return or replace the things you borrow in better condition.

-Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal.

-Respect your elders. Even when you know (think) you're right.

-You can not fully understand the power of a hand-written Thank You note.

-Sincere compliments go a long way, too.

-"Made from scratch" is ALWAYS better than "from the box". Better tasting and better for you.

-If you want to make sure you're buying healthy bread, make sure the number of grams of fiber is always higher than the number of grams of sugar.

-If you're ever feeling down, do something nice for someone else. It's amazing what serving others can do to lift your mood.

Double Trouble

2011-11-21T12:40:00.001-07:00

I always wanted to have twins. I mean, think about it, TWO babies from ONE pregnancy? Doesn't sound so bad to me! Well, it never happened. But whatever. It turns out I just had to wait a while for my twins.

There are many people who can't tell Cowgirl and Princess apart and (even better!) they love pretending to be twins. When we went school shopping they chose a couple of shirts that matched for the days they wanted to dress alike.

Today happened to be one of those days.

These girls have a love/hate relationship so I am always in support of the things they want to do on the 'love' side of that relationship. I love my crazy twinners!

What Matters Most

2011-11-20T20:08:00.001-07:00

This message really hits home.

My Thoughts Exactly

2011-11-19T23:53:00.001-07:00

image found here

Lost and Found

2011-11-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

On a recent family trip to the local grocery store for some soft serve ice cream, our Little O was somehow left behind at the deli. I'm sure it had to do with the fact that I was picking up some groceries, some of the kids were using the restroom and others were wandering around whoknowswhere when it was decided that we should load up in the van. No one had been specifically assigned to Little O and I imagine that he was quite content watching the television at the service deli while enjoying his melty ice cream cone - until he noticed that he was alone.

As I stood in the checkout line I got a call on my cell phone from Coolister asking if Little O was with me. "No," I answered. "Is he lost?"

"He's not with us in the van. But maybe he's with ElemenoB."

I was just about to pay when I saw Allen come in to the store with a look of concern on his face. "Little O's not with you?" he asked, but then, seeing the answer was in the negative, he took off to look for him.

I hurriedly paid then rushed to the customer service desk to have them alert their employees of our lost little boy - blonde hair, in a dark green coat. I saw Coolister canvassing the south side of the store and panic started to set in. Where was my little boy? Had he wandered outside? Was he scared? Had someone taken him? Oh, my heart.

Before I had time to figure out where to begin searching, Allen appeared with Little O in his arms. A nice lady had found him holding his ice cream and crying and had brought him with her to the check out, after which she planned to bring him to the customer service desk and help him find his family.

I have never felt such relief.

We gathered the search party into the van and Little O would not leave my side. He was obviously frightened by the whole experience and would not stop saying my name. I tried to get him into his carseat but he kept crying, "I want to hold you, mom! I just want to hold you!" which is his way of saying that he wants me to hold him. I buckled him in and sat near him so he could hold my hand. Our sweet little guy finally fell asleep holding my hand and anytime I tried to remove it, he gripped it tighter, even as he slept. And I didn't mind. I was just so happy to have his little hand in mine.

As I have had time to reflect on our experience I have had many thoughts. But the one that stands out the most is that we all need to look out for each other. We are just a big family, really, sharing this temporary existence. When one of us becomes lost, in whatever way, we should form a search party and not give up until the lost is found. Once we are all reunited, sometimes we just need to hold the hand of the one who has been found until things are right with them again and they're ready to stand alone.

Little O has been a little clingy since that day, rarely leaving my side.

Actually, maybe it's not him. Maybe it's me.

Two Lists of Ten

2011-11-17T23:54:00.002-07:00

photo here

Ten Things I Want To Do While I'm Still Living:

1. Visit New York City
2. Perform on stage again
3. Help someone in a life-changing way
4. Visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida
5. Own an outfit that I love, right down to the shoes
6. Drive a bathtub Porsche for a day
7. Visit Disney's California Adventure side
8. Be in a really cool flash mob
9. Plan an amazingly awesome party for someone
10. Write a book

Ten Movies That I Love:

1. Enchanted
2. Newsies
3. Remember the Titans
4. The Truman Show
5. Ever After
6. Radio
7. {Can't think of the title}
8. You've Got Mail
9. Tangled
10. While You Were Sleeping

How Do You Get A Unicorn's Attention?

2011-11-16T23:58:00.002-07:00

origami found here

Honk its horn.

My Soul Delighteth in the Song of the Heart

2011-11-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

One Sunday a year at our church the congregation gets to meet all together and hear the kids age 3-11 talk and sing about what they have learned all year. It's called the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program and it's always a great meeting because, no matter what, the kids make it awesome. Occasionally there are a couple of special musical numbers as part of this program as well - and this year our family was asked to sing a song called "A Child's Prayer".

We only had a few weeks notice and, admittedly, we did not practice as often as we should have. This meant that, come Sunday morning, we were singing the song repeatedly until we seemed to finally get it down. Even the littlest kids could sing the beginning line, Heavenly Father, are you really there? by the time we left for church.

When it came time for us to sing everything went wonderfully - including Baby O falling asleep in Allen's arms as we sang. Once we got home from church, we couldn't seem to escape this song that the kids could barely even remember the words to that morning. Someone was almost constantly singing the words or humming the tune. It was kind of nice, actually.

The next day Allen asked Princess to say our family prayer before bed. She stood, bowed her head and closed her eyes, then instead of speaking the words she began to sing the tune that was stuck in her head: Heavenly Father... then she quickly stopped herself.

"Oops!" she laughed. "Sorry!"

It took all of us a few minutes to stop laughing and settle down long enough for her to start over on family prayer again.

I like to think that our Heavenly Father enjoyed that, too.

Being Thankful

2011-11-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

quote from here

I have been reading all sorts of great quotes about gratitude and being thankful this month. They serve as good reminders of all that I have to be thankful for and how to best express that gratitude.

Here are a few of my favorites:

quote from here

quote from here

quote from here

This last quote is my favorite of them all. I want to be more like this. It is so true! When I'm around people who complain and dwell on the negative in their life it can be exhausting. I'm sure the same is true for those who have to listen to me gripe and complain about silly things. I want to be someone who is known as a person who 'brightens all around them'. Isn't that an awesome description?

Here are 14 things I am thankful for, in no particular order: (one for each day of the month so far)

1. My handsome, hard-working, handyman husband.
2. My crazy, fun, intelligent children.
3. Our friendly neighborhood and warm, cozy home.
3. My in-laws. All of them! (I seriously married into the most awesome family!)
4. Second-hand stores.
5. Cousin Raylene for making me feel like a rockstar any time I get a haircut.
6. Bakeries.
7. Music.
8. The family I was born into.
9. Friends that are like family. (You know who you are, right?)
10. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
11. Deaf culture. (I LOVE this part of the definition I linked to: Members of the Deaf community tend to view deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability.)
12. My washer and dryer.
13. My camera - and pictures of the people/things I love.
14. Laughter, especially when it's coming from one of my kids.

Last Week's Menu

2011-11-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

This post is for my friends Gina and Maria who think it would be SOOOOO interesting to know what my menus are like.

Here's what I made for dinners over the last two weeks:

Sunday: Italian Chicken and Rice with Green Beans and Rolls

Monday: Chicken Crescents with Green Salad and Candied Acorn Squash

Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce and Broccoli on the side

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Soup with Rolls (I used a pint of cream instead of the cream cheese and baked the squash before blending instead of boiling it in the broth.)

Thursday: Enchiladas with Sweet Corn

Friday: Homemade Pizza (it was ElemenoB's birthday party with her friends so we went with super simple)

Saturday: Tomato Tortellini Basil Soup with Goldfish Crackers

(This week we had a lot of squash because someone gave us quite a few from their garden and I had to give them all a try. The Butternut Squash Soup was for SURE a new favorite.)

Sunday: Mexican Chicken and Rice with Green Beans

Monday: Chicken Noodle Soup with Oyster Crackers

Tuesday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Green Beans

Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff with Broccoli

Thursday: Pigs in a Blanket with Green Salad

Friday: Baked Beans and Biscuits with Mixed Vegetables

Saturday: Chicken Stuffing Casserole with Green Beans

If anyone is interested in recipes for any of these or a list of what we make for breakfasts or lunches, leave a comment and let me know.

Melancholy Day

2011-11-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

The stormy grey skies matched my mood this morning as I checked my email and found a message my mom had sent late last night: Aunt Bonnie passed away today.

If you wonder what kind of influence my Aunt Bonnie had in my life, you can read this post from February of this year. I've been thinking about her a lot today.

This past summer we had originally planned to take a family trip to the western states to visit so many of our relatives who are scattered throughout the area. One stop would have been in Oregon to see Aunt Bonnie and some of her children who live near her. However, we had a change of plans and did not make that trip. I have no regrets, really - more of just a wish that I could have seen her one last time and told her how much she meant to me.

That post I mentioned above? I kept meaning to print it out and send it to her. I still don't know why I didn't. But I didn't. It is what it is.

Isn't it funny how you can live so far away from someone and have had so little contact over the years - but once they're gone from this life you can miss them like crazy and wish for more time?

I have so many thoughts that can not be organized right now. It has just been a melancholy day.

Eleven Things

2011-11-11T11:11:00.022-07:00

My oldest daughter, ElemenoB, is 17 years old today. She was born on 11/11, eleven days earlier than her due date. She is in the 11th grade and her favorite number is... (wait for it) ... 11. So in honor of her birthday I am excited to tell you 11 things I love about my ElemenoB. But since she is 17 years old (and so dang cute!) I get to use 17 pictures.

1. ElemenoB is super creative. She takes pictures, tries new recipes, loves interior design and enjoys finding empty containers that she can mod-podge with photos torn from magazines.

2. She is athletic. Elle runs cross country and plays on the basketball team at school. She has run in the Ragnar Relay twice and she loves playing ultimate Frisbee. She is such a great sport that she used to apologize to her opponents when she played aggressively against them in basketball.

3. She is musically talented. Elle can play the piano and she's trying to teach herself to play the guitar. My favorite instrument, though, is her voice. She thinks she sings off-key, but I love hearing when she and Thumbelina are singing together to the radio or a Relient K song on her iPod.

4. She can be a tomboy and a girly-girl. We knew from the time she was little that she was tomboy-ish. ElemenoB used to scream when we put jeans on her because they were "tooooo tight!" We thought she would never stop wearing pants with an elastic waistband. She would always rather have been climbing a tree than having a tea party. Anytime I would curl her hair as a kid she would get 'that look' on her face and as soon as I was done she would lock the bathroom door, get her hair wet and 'smooth out' what I had done. The girly-girl side started to come out when our neighbor, Amy, would dress our girls up for fun and it still shows up on occasion when she goes to formal dances and shops for dresses or shoes.

5. ElemenoB knows how to find beauty all around her. She appreciates things like mountains and flowers and trees and clouds and sunsets. When she takes pictures they capture the beauty of seemingly insignificant things. She is fascinated by the inner workings of the human body and wants to be an athletic trainer or physical therapist.

6. She has a twisted sense of humor. I'm not sure how to explain this one except to say that sometimes the things she thinks are funny really are not. But then she starts laughing and before you know it we're all laughing and thinking maybe it was funny after all.

7. She would rather shop at thrift stores than the mall. That's my girl!

8. ElemenoB is a good big sister. She loves her younger siblings (most of the time) and is a great help to them. She gets a kick out of the funny things they say and do.

9. She is a young woman of hidden talents. Her English accent is amazing when she wants to use it. She also has a talent for acting (you should have seen her in the role of Golem in the 5th grade production of The Hobbit!) and actually enjoys doing the neighbor's yard work.

10. She is a loyal friend. Some of her best friends she has known since elementary school. She is always making new friends, too. ElemenoB also has a knack for making others feel included.

11. ElemenoB is beautiful, inside and out.

Happy 17th Birthday, ElemenoB! I hope all your wishes come true.

Every Little Bit Counts

2011-11-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

photo of my adorable niece shamelessly pilfered from here

In the month of November many people list things they are thankful for each day on Facebook or write a post about the things they are thankful for on their blogs. I will probably be writing up a post one day this month that lists some of the many things I am blessed with in my life - but today I am especially thankful for my cute niece Addilynn and her amazing parents.

Some of you are familiar with my awesome brother and sister-in-law, Daren and Shannon. They found out they couldn't have kids on their own so they began a process which eventually brought Addilynn into their lives through adoption.

Addi was recently diagnosed with a rare disorder called FOP. (You can click on that link to read a quick synopsis about it.) Shannon created a blog to write about their journey with Addi's FOP. To read their story (which also explains how they found out about Addi's diagnosis), click HERE.

They are also having a 'Drawing From the Heart' (funny fact: it was originally called a 'raffle' but she found out they needed to get a license for gambling if they used the word raffle) to help fund FOP research and find a cure. They are simply asking for everyone who is willing to donate what they can - from $1.00 to $1 million (if you happen to have that lying around in a suitcase somewhere...). To sweeten the deal there are even a whole slew of great prizes that have been donated for the drawing.

To be included in the drawing you can donate until November 26th. Winners will be announced Monday, November 28th. You can read more about it all HERE.

The hardest thing for me right now is that I feel helpless to do anything for Addi. When I hear something is wrong with someone that I love, I want to fix it. I want to make it better. Prayers and donating to FOP research is all I can do, so that's what I did.

I wrote this post because I want to do more - and I hope it will encourage others to help, too.

Musings On School Dances

2011-11-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Coolister before he left to pick up his date for Prom last year.

My kids have enjoyed their fair share of high school dances. Boy asks girl (or vice versa) in a fun, creative manner, they receive an answer and they go have a grand time at the dance with a group of their friends.

As a mom, the hardest part of these dances was watching my oldest boy drive off to pick up his date, knowing I was going to miss out on seeing his date's dress and getting pictures of the two of them together. Or hearing ElemenoB talk about the guy she asked to such-and-such a dance but never getting to meet him because she had to pick him up.

It is really unfair that I miss out on half of the photo opportunities for dances my kids go to (unless I decide to be a stalker - which I only do when I know the mother of the other kid). But I have a solution!

From here on out I propose that all parents who get to take pictures of their son/daughter when the young man/woman arrives to pick them up should ask the young man/woman for his/her mother's email address and then send her some pictures of the two of them all decked out. Either that or call and invite the mother over to take pictures so she doesn't feel like a stalker.

Are you with me? Let's get it started!

Creative Vocabulary

2011-11-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

One of the weekly assignments in Cowgirl's fifth grade class is to create a vocabulary poster based on an assigned word. I think this is one of her favorite assignments each week because it allows her to be creative. I have loved some of the posters she has created, such as this:

and, of course, this:

However, I am pretty sure that this week's poster is my favorite so far:

Easily Entertained

2011-11-07T21:20:00.001-07:00

ElemenoB is a junior in high school so she gets all sorts of letters and postcards from schools that want her to apply to attend college there. Some of them are formal, some are fun, some are ridiculous, and most of them end up in the trash eventually.

However, one provided entertainment value - a recent postcard from the University of Arizona.

It invited ElemenoB to check out a video made just for her at a specific URL so she typed it in and sure enough, there was her name emblazoned all over a few choice slides in the video presentation.

She was slightly impressed until she figured out that you could likely replace her name in the URL with any other name and it would appear in the video. She was right - and everyone took turns laughing as we created invitations for various people to attend the University of Arizona over the next half hour or so.

University of Arizona, thank you for making our day.

Giving Thanks For Thanksgiving

2011-11-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

photo from eslpod.com

Dear Thanksgiving,

Just wanted to let you know that, despite the fact that the retail stores and radio stations have forgotten you once again, I have not. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christmas. In fact, I love it. It has just become so overwhelmingly materialistic and shoved down my throat the day after Halloween. I think that you serve as a great precursor to being inundated with ho-ho-ho music and people wearing Santa hats. No one should just skip over you, Thanksgiving. We need to remember to give thanks. So when it comes to holidays, please don't feel neglected when you see inflatable Santas and animated Grinches adorning the holiday aisles in stores. At our house, we haven't forgotten you. In fact, we have a playlist of Thanksgiving songs which we enjoy until your day has passed. Here is what we will be listening to until the day after we celebrate the things we're thankful for:

1. Thankful - Josh Groban
2. Thanksgiving Theme - Vince Guaraldi Trio
3. Colors - John McCutcheon
4. Prayer of Thanksgiving - David Tolk
5. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - MoTab Choir
6. Thanksgiving Day - John McCutcheon
7. Thank U - Alanis Morrissette
8. When Fall Comes to New England - Cheryl Wheeler
9. Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver
10. Thank You - John Mellencamp
11. Happy Thanksgiving - Debbie Friedman
12. Home - Michael Buble
13. Thanksgiving - George Winston
14. Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins
15. Thanksgiving - Jim Brickman
16. Kind and Generous - Natalie Merchant
17. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
18. Thank You - Boyz II Men

Hang in there, Thanksgiving. I've got your back.

Sincerely,
Gerb

On Stifling Creativity

2011-11-05T13:56:00.003-06:00

In preparation for a presentation that Allen is filming for work, he has been watching TED talks. When he came across this one, he showed it to me - and it struck a chord in both of us. It really made us think about what we may be doing to stifle our kids' creativity and how we can change that.

I'd love to hear what you think.

Lucky Me

2011-11-04T11:45:00.000-06:00

When I think of the things I am thankful for, this guy is the first thing that comes to mind.

Allen takes such great care of our family - he is a wonderful provider and jack-of-all trades who can do pretty much anything that he sets his mind to.

His skills with woodworking continue to amaze me with each new project he undertakes. He dreams up his creations, designs them in his head, and builds them with precision and beauty.

From very early on in our marriage it was easy to see what a hard worker Allen is. He is extremely service-oriented and always looking for opportunities to help others, too.

He loves the outdoors. Not only does he keep our yard in immaculate condition (one neighbor reports she once saw him laying on the front lawn, cutting the blades of grass with a pair of scissors), he also loves spending time out in nature - hiking the mountains, rafting the rivers and biking the trails.

Allen has always been awesome when it comes to housework and taking care of the kids. I remember a time when I was getting home late at night from a meeting and one of the women there sarcastically mentioned, "I'm sure we'll all get home and our houses will be clean and the kids will all be in bed," then a friend of mine piped up, "At Gerb's house, that will be the case!"

One of my favorite things about Allen is that he does not take himself too seriously. He knows how to laugh and be silly and have fun.

I am so lucky to have him as not only my husband, but my best friend.

Happy birthday, Allen!

Thankful

2011-11-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

(A glimpse of the mountains on the way to my kids' school. Don't you think the view is... cool?)

The sound of waves on ocean shore,
A laugh, a smile, an open door,
A bird in flight, the dreams that soar,
These are the things I'm thankful for.

Sunrise, sunset, a garden gate,
Freshly baked cookies on my plate,
Some time to read, write and create;
These are things I appreciate.

Great times with family, friends and food,
Songs which dispel an awful mood,
For falling rain, for clouds that brood;
For all these things - my gratitude.

A donut topped with maple glaze,
To bask in sunshine's warming rays,
The insights gained in passing days;
For all these things I offer praise.

~Gerb (November 2009)

Wishes

2011-11-02T17:00:00.001-06:00

photo credit

If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets in the sea. -Eric Bogle

Some days I wish my hair looked good short.

I will always wish I could play the piano.

I wish someone could find a cure for cancer and FOP.

I wish they made carseats with wheels and handles (like rolling luggage).

I wish I had good fashion sense. Or a personal shopper who does. Or both.

Sometimes I wish I was a boy.

I wish eclairs and brownies and chocolate and ice cream were good for you.

I wish I could dance well enough to be the star of a flash mob.

I wish I was less judgmental.

Sometimes I wish I was invisible. Or a mind reader.

I wish I still owned that pair of Flojos from high school. Those were awesome.

I wish I had a food replicator in my kitchen like they have on Star Trek. Or a house elf. Or both.

I wish everyone could just get along.

The Ghost of Halloween Past

2011-11-01T13:25:00.001-06:00

We have a trick-or-treating rule at our house which was my brainchild. It is: No trick-or-treating after you reach the age of 12. Some people pat me on the back and shake my hand and say things like, "YES!" when I tell them of my rule. Others... not so much. The reason I instituted this rule is because I get sick of seeing teenagers carrying loaded pillowcases from door to door - and often without costumes, mind you - ungratefully holding their bag open with expectations of free candy without so much as a 'thank you'. My teenagers (costumes or not) will not be those teenagers. For the most part it's all fine and good because once my kids hit the teenage years they (mostly) no longer have any desire to collect candy amongst the younger set.

That being said, I do feel a small twinge of guilt when I enforce the rule. Why? I shamelessly trick-or-treated until I was 17+. But for me, it was survival. I had to collect enough candy to live off of until our friends from church started bringing by the Christmas goodies. I fondly remember how we would trek over to the neighborhoods where every other door for a full block gave out a full-sized candy bar and we didn't give up until our bags were full to overflowing and there were no longer any porch lights on.

Then came the trades. My brothers and sister and I would sit in a circle on the living room floor and lay our candy out in piles (chocolate, not chocolate and undesirables) and barter for our favorites long after our parents had retired for the night.

The next step was finding a good place to hide the stash. It was almost like a game to try to find where one of my siblings had hidden their pillowcase. (And maybe I would sample one or two of their chocolates as a reward.) More often than not I cached my candy in 4 or 5 different places in case one of them was discovered - and the bag filled with my favorites always went in my backpack.

Last night around 10 pm a group of costumed teenagers came to my door in search of some candy to add to their already overflowing bags. TEN P.M.! I must be getting old and crotchety because I told them we were out of candy when really there was still a whole bowl full of treats on the piano. I felt a teensy bit bad when they politely thanked me despite leaving empty-handed and Allen pointed out that I could have gotten rid of more candy.

But I didn't feel too bad.

Because old habits die hard - and that leftover bowl full of colorful cavity-inducing crap was mine!

(Anyone want to trade me a Twix for 3 Dum Dums and a lime Tootsie Roll?)

Just Another Normal Sunday Afternoon

2011-10-29T07:33:00.000-06:00

I found these pictures on my camera today...

...and fell in love with my kids all over again.

Picture Perfect

2011-10-27T06:00:00.001-06:00

This picture captures my Little O so perfectly - the mismatched clothes, a late afternoon nap, his sweet sleeping face, and his possessive love for this bright blue balloon.

Even as he slept he instinctively held on to the balloon, knowing that if he let it go someone else might claim it and he would wake up empty-handed.

There are all kinds of metaphors in there, but I'm just going to leave it at what you see - a picture of my little guy who is likely dreaming of an adventure involving a bright blue balloon.

Waxing Nostalgic

2011-10-25T06:39:00.002-06:00

Last week was Red Ribbon Week at the elementary school. Each day is some sort of fun, crazy dress-up day and the kids had fun putting together some great outfits and hair. Friday, they were stumped. It was "Wear your favorite team jersey" day - but no one had any jerseys.

I told them that it would be fine to just wear a team t-shirt, but they insisted that they must be jerseys. So I pulled these old relics out of my storage chest and told them it was the best I could do.

"Where did these come from?" they asked. "What team is WEST?"

I told them that these were my old jerseys that I wore when I ran on the cross country team back in high school and showed them my last name spelled out in fuzzy iron-ons across the upper backs of each one. I told them how I could never throw them out over the years because the cross country team was like my family and these old jerseys reminded me of many happy times. "No one will probably have ever heard of West High before, but you can tell them it's from your mom's old school in California. Will these work?"

"YES!" they shouted. "You're going to let us wear them? These are SO special!!" They were ecstatic as they decided who got to wear which one. I was ecstatic. I don't really know how to describe the happy feeling I had inside when I saw my girls wearing my old jerseys and understanding how meaningful they were to me - but I was especially thrilled by how excited they were about it.

This picture is definitely one of my current favorites.

School Picture Day

2011-10-23T07:09:00.000-06:00

School picture day was here.

I like to let the kids get crazy for these pictures because we don't buy them. So really, why not?

Princess informed me right off that "I am not really too much of a weird person most of the time so I want to just, um, look mostly just normal in my school picture even though our family is kind of more weird."

I was fine with that.

Hubba recently had a haircut so there wasn't much to work with.

But Cowgirl? She had a plan.

My favorite part is the 'beard'. Apparently the school photographer was not a big fan of this genius idea and told her, "I'm going to have to have you take that ponytail out from under your chin."

It's a good thing I can appreciate her awesome sense of humor and already got a picture before she left for school.

We Are Family

2011-10-21T06:41:00.011-06:00

We finally got some new family pictures taken by our awesome friend Jason (who also happens to be an awesome photographer).

If you want to see the individual pictures of the kids, take a look in the sidebar. ------>

I love this shot of Allen and I:

And here are my favorite outtakes:

Here's what happens to a couple after 19 years of marriage and 10 kids...

They get a little psycho-crazy.

And that's just the way we like it.

Pesky Little Vampires

2011-10-19T17:05:00.000-06:00

Oh, how I love autumn. The beautiful blanket of warm reds and yellows that covers our mountains, pumpkin-flavored everything, Halloween, and the kind of weather which calls for a light jacket or sweater. This year I have one more thing to really appreciate at this time of year - fall marks the end of mosquito season.

Have you ever heard of anyone being allergic to mosquito bites? I hadn't. Then one day this summer Little O's lower leg swelled up to double its size and we couldn't figure out why. A mosquito bite seemed to be the only possibility and we figured it was a one-time deal.

Nope.

Can you tell where else he got bit by those pesky little blood-suckers?

August

September

Goodbye, mosquitoes. We will not miss you.

Not one teeny bit.

Quick Quips

2011-10-14T12:32:00.000-06:00

Curly: Mom, look! There is red on the top of the mountains! Wait... is that hot lava?! Are our mountains really volcanoes?
Me: Nope. That is just the trees changing colors. It means fall is coming.
Curly: Oh. So I guess they are fall-canoes instead of vol-canoes.

Can I be a robber for Halloween if I promise not to be one when I grow up?

Hubba: Can I build a spaceship?
Me: Sure.
Hubba: Then I need a blowtorch and some big pieces of metal for my birthday.

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Curly: The potato soup that is red.
Me: You mean tomato soup?
Curly: No, I don't like tomatoes.
Me: You mean the soup we eat with grilled cheese sandwiches?
Curly: Yeah. I want red potato soup and girl cheese sandwiches.

I can't believe they drank from the same cup! That's pretty much like kissing!

Dreams Come True at BYU

2011-10-07T07:37:00.004-06:00

My oldest boy is loving the college life. Not only the independence and keeping late hours, but most especially the people he's run into while there.

A couple of the Kid History guys

The one and only Jimmer

I can honestly admit that I am pretty jealous. When I was working at BYU one of the most exciting people I ran into was John Walsh (whom most BYU fans probably don't even remember) and the funny thing about that was that we went to high school together so it was no big deal. I didn't even know he was BYU's starting quarterback until my husband told me.

Keep living the dream, Coolister.

(If you could try to get a decent amount of sleep while doing it, that would be awesome.)

Can't Say I Didn't Tri

2011-10-06T07:00:00.003-06:00

Me and my awesome new pal, Christine.

My TriathaMom was a couple of Saturdays ago and I know you've all been on the edge of your computer seats just waiting to hear about it.

I made an awesome new friend, Christine, who gave me a ride up on Saturday morning. We left early so we would have time to drive the bike course before registration started and we talked about how nervous we were the whole way there. (It was her first one, too.) We found the starting point, got lost on the bike course and made it back (with help from my phone's GPS) well before registration ended.

I got my body markings (race numbers on the arms, age on the left calf) and we went to set up our bikes in the transition area. I was happy to see that ours were not the only mountain bikes, although road bikes were definitely there in abundance. As the sun started to come up we took advantage of the short lines at the port-a-potties and then played the waiting game until start time.

As we walked into the pool area my concerns about being too cold were immediately put to rest. In fact, it was almost too warm inside the rec center. As Christine and I found a place to sit near the pool I noticed that the pool was 13 feet deep at one end and had a small 5 foot deep shelf-with-drop-off on the other end. I immediately started to stress out over this. One thing they stated on their website was that if you needed to walk the swim, you could. I was comforted by the fact that I could walk if I tired out - alas, I am not 13.5 feet tall. From that point until the time I exited the swimming pool I am fairly certain I exhausted myself with anxiety.

Just before the swim began a gal with a microphone hooked into the rec center's speaker system talked about something for 5-10 minutes. There was so much chatter going on that I could not understand a word - but luckily the instructions filtered through the crowd and we all realized that those with the fastest starting times needed to head up to the front of the pack. I knew I could do the swim in about 20 minutes or less so I ended up being just in front of the women who were using kickboards for the swim. I almost cried a few times, almost completely gave up once, watched as some of the starting swimmers returned from their bike ride, but after roughly an hour I was able to start swimming.

People using kickboards passed me, one sweet gal even asked if I was okay and if I wanted to share her kickboard, but I finished the swim second from last. A paramedic stood where I exited the pool and asked, "How are you feeling? Can you do the bike and run?" I told him I was going to finish this thing, no matter what, and didn't even try to run to the transition area because I was completely worn out.

I toweled myself off, laced up my shoes, snapped my helmet on and headed for the start of the bike portion. As I left the transition area a volunteer called, "LAST BIKE OUT!" I started to pedal and could never really gain any momentum because the first 4 miles was a gradual uphill slope. However, I had promised myself that I would NOT walk any of the bike ride because that would be just silly. I passed a couple of women with flat tires and one gal who was walking her bike. I offered words of encouragement and they did the same. At the end of the 4th mile was what I heard many of the other racers dub 'Sick Hill'. I shifted my bike into the lowest possible gear and s l o w l y made my way up it. It about killed me when the chain slipped and I had to dismount to fix it. Talk about jello for legs - and I still had 7 miles to go! Once I crested Sick Hill it was pretty smooth sailing from there on out. There were a couple of magical downhills where I'm pretty sure I was flying. At one point a white van pulled up alongside of me - my family! They were there to cheer me on. What a boost! That gave me the burst of energy I needed to finish up the bike ride.

I hurried in to the transition area once again to ditch my bike helmet ("Nice hair!" Allen called out to me, laughing. I had serious helmet-head with my natural curls frizzing out along the bottom. So I quickly put my hair into a ponytail, too.) and head out for the 5K. As I left the volunteer directed me to the 'after-party'. "I'm just starting the 5K," I told him. "Where do I go?" He instructed me to follow the green arrows and then called, "LAST RUNNER OUT!" (What the heck is that all about, anyway??) I started at a speed-walking pace and eventually decided to see how my legs would respond to a slow jog. It actually felt pretty good! I passed up a couple of women who were walking this portion and some of my kids ran the last mile or so with me. I would say I probably ran at least 2 of the 3 miles. Go me!

As I came in to the finish I was ready to cry. I did it. I could now call myself a triathlete! I got my cool finisher's necklace:

(So much better than the typical medal that I would never wear again!)

and a big hug from Christine who had waited there for me for who knows how long. Allen parked the van and the kids went crazy with the bounce houses, cotton candy, balloons and free food.

At this point I pretty much just wanted to fall asleep.

When I got home I looked up the results to see where I finished. Out of 331 women I placed 321st. However, the most important thing was that I finished at all since I was really only competing against myself.

Would I ever do this again? Probably not. After my anxiety over the long wait to swim in a 13 foot deep pool and a bike ride geared towards beginners which exhausted me to no end, I think I'm going to call it good and stick with running.

In conclusion: I came. I swam. I biked. I ran. I finished.

What's next?

The Book in My Brain

2011-10-04T23:30:00.000-06:00

On the days that I forget to bring my music with me as I run I find that I notice random objects and start putting a story to them in my head to pass the time.

The one constant item along my running route is the back cover of a Harry Potter book.

Somehow, I forget that it is there until each time I pass it by - and then the story continues from where it left off.

It goes something like this:

There is a land in the future where lies are forbidden - even in the form of books. Fictional books are considered fabrications of untruths and over time they are banned and destroyed entirely. The only writings which remain are personal records written by the people who inhabit this place. Many years pass and we meet a young girl who has never heard of fictional stories or characters. One day as she walks through a wooded area she notices a flash of faded colors near the base of a tree. She makes her way over and picks it up - it has writing on it which tells of a land where magical things happen. She begins to wonder where this land is and how she could get there because it sounds fascinating. She goes back to the place where she found the book cover and searches for more to the story. She eventually somehow finds a water-stained, worn and haggard copy of the book (in a hollowed out tree stump? In a hole dug out of the earth beneath a boulder? Maybe some of the pages are missing?) and thinks she is reading someone's history.

That's as far as my brain has taken it. Are these fragments of a real story that I've heard about and forgotten or is my brain really creating all of this?

I need to know which road I should take from here. The easy road, which consists of finding the book already in existence - or the hard road, which means I need to continue my brain-writing. Because either way I am engrossed and can't wait to find out how the story ends.

It's Still Funny

2011-09-22T09:25:00.000-06:00

picture from here

I have mentioned before that I always include a joke or quote with my kids' school lunches. Yesterday's joke was:

Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall?
To make up for his lousy summer.

When I picked the kids up from school yesterday, we had the following conversation about the joke:

Princess: Mom! That joke you gave me today was SO funny! It made me laugh and laugh! I could NOT stop laughing right there in the lunchroom! Oh, my gosh. I was laughing SO hard. But...what does it even mean?

Me: Wait. You mean you laughed your head off and you didn't even understand the joke?

Princess: Right.

Cowgirl: Oh, my gosh, Princess. I can't believe you didn't get it. It is SO funny! It means that Humpty Dumpty jumped off the wall because his summer was so lousy.

Me: What? No. When it says he had a great 'fall' and a lousy 'summer', they are talking about the seasons. It could have said 'Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great autumn' or 'Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great winter' but then it wouldn't have fit with what is said in the nursery rhyme.

Princess and Cowgirl: WHAT?

Me: The word 'fall' in this joke has two different meanings. One is the season after summer. The other is when gravity makes you drop to the ground. So the joke here is that he didn't actually have a great fall to the ground, he had a great fall, as in autumn, to make up for his lousy summer. Now do you get it?

Princess: OH! Yeah, now I get it. That is pretty funny. I guess that's why it made me laugh so hard.

Hubba: That joke is dumb.

The Running Dream

2011-09-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

photo here

A friend of Coolister's gave a glowing recommendation for the book The Running Dream on her Facebook page not too long ago. (Hi Alexis!) Well, because I am always looking for great book recommendations and because running used to be something I loved I decided to give it a go.

It was such an inspiring book! Especially as I am training for TriathaMom. It was fiction that read so believably that I often forgot it was not a true story. I loved it. One of my favorite parts was at the end when the main character, Jessica, realizes that the race she is running finishes in the same place it started and the symbolism there - that the end of this race is really just the start of what she can accomplish from now on.

When I used to hear about sprint triathlons I thought they sounded fun - except for the biking and swimming portions. I knew that I might be able to do the bike part, definitely couldn't do the swim portion, but the run would be a piece of cake. Well, that has flip-flopped. My broken leg, although now healed, has presented some challenges for me. After swimming lessons I am feeling confident in the 300-meter swim. With some practice behind me I am also feeling mostly okay about the 12-mile bike portion. However, despite my training, the 3 mile run is now what makes me the most nervous.

But what I have learned through all of this is that I can overcome obstacles. No matter what is thrown at me in my life, I can get through it. And I will get through it. No matter what happens or how long it takes me, I will finish my race this Saturday.

The finish line will be my starting line. This is just the beginning of what I plan to accomplish.

Thirsty?

2011-09-13T23:30:00.001-06:00

I am not sure what to think (beyond being completely grossed out).

Today I got a call from Hubba's school. The principal wanted me to know that Hubba and two other boys were getting drinks from a urinal in the boy's bathroom after recess. He explained to them how dangerous that could be and then had his secretary call the parents of all three boys to tell us what had happened.

When the secretary had finished telling me about the situation she asked if I would like to talk to Hubba for a minute. I wasn't sure what I would say, as I was feeling rather speechless at the moment, (and yes, despite the disgusting factor, I was trying not to laugh - it's just how I deal with things) but I did have a quick chat with him.

He told me that he did it because he saw one of his friends at church do it.

??

Honestly, I don't know what to say. What kid even thinks about getting a drink from a urinal? And how in the world does he convince others to join him in such a thing?

What makes matters even worse is that this is already the second time he's been to the principal's office this year. The first time was for an altercation with another kid who wouldn't move when the class line was walking into the school. Hubba was just behind him and didn't want to break the rule of 'no cutting in line' so instead he decided to kick the kid to get him to move.

What in the world do I do wrong? Is he just being a 6-year-old boy? Am I wrong to feel like a failure as a parent? This is not the Hubba I know.

I have no answers. All I know is that I just love that precocious little kid to the moon and back times infinity and I don't want him to be a troublemaker or have a reputation as one.

The urinal. For reals.

There are no words.

Dawning

2011-09-12T13:45:00.000-06:00

(On a recent trip to Cascade Springs - some of my crew +1)

I just recently realized the worst part about having a whole brood of children.

I am birthing these sweet babies, growing them into cute, precocious toddlers, teaching them to be kind, respectful kids, showing them how to be self-sufficient teenagers and then sending them off as responsible, contributing adults.

Once they leave home, they are armed with the skills needed to survive on their own: studying efficiently, budgeting money, doing laundry, cooking meals, and (hopefully) prioritizing time - among other things.

In short: I am raising my kids so they can leave me. I have taught them all that they need to know so that they do not need me anymore.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

I can not do this 9 more times. I can't. I can't. I can't!!!

*sigh*

But I will.

(Cascade Springs, August 2011)

Guest Post: Professor Sybill Trelawney

2011-09-01T07:00:00.004-06:00

The day began in a most ordinary way. I was deciphering the messages in the dregs of my morning tea when my Inner Eye experienced the strangest sensation. Suddenly, I knew there was a class waiting for me. A class of muggle students, mind you, but a class in dire need of my expertise in the veiled mysteries of the future. I departed at once.

Upon my arrival I immediately shared my gift of divination by reading the teacher's tea leaves and... oh, dear. Really, it is kinder not to say, but he had... the Grim! The giant, spectral dog which haunts churchyards! It was the worst of omens. I didn't intend to frighten anyone, but I knew immediately that I needed to find one in their number who could offer their teacher protection.

I consulted the fates and could sense a strong aura among them. It took me some time to place it - but once I discovered the one who had great receptivity to the resonances of the future I revealed to her the importance of her position. She alone could save her teacher from what the future held in store.

A few unfortunate predictions were pronounced - not by my own thoughts, of course, but by the prompting of fate. And then, before I could offer even the quickest lesson in palmistry or fire-omens, my Inner Eye could sense that my time of departure had come.

As I walked out the door of their classroom I reminded the muggle children of the importance of working together for their teacher's benefit - you know, beware of what lurks in dark shadows and all of that - although I could already see that the Grim was stalking near, growing ever closer. I did not want to frighten the poor dears. However, I will confess that the thought of the teacher's tea reading remained a great concern in my mind.

But really, I had already intermingled with the muggle world more than was prudent. I left in haste.

The Inner Eye can be such a burden at times.

Would you like to read the teacher's account of my visit?
Click here.

TheThree Bears

2011-08-30T20:55:00.001-06:00

Curly, tell me about this picture you drew.

Oh, that's The Three Bears.

Where's Goldilocks?

No, not those three bears. These three bears saw some persons walking on a trail so they are showing their really sharp teeth to scare them away.

Why does this little bear only have a head?
He's the baby bear. They told him to hided by a rock until they made the people get scared and run away. He's holding up a flag so they know he's nice.

That's smart of him. So these are the mom and dad bears?

Yeah. This one's the mom and this one's the dad.
Why are the dad's eyes so BIG?

Well, he got a little scared of the hikers on the trail so the mom bear had to scare them herself. That's why she has red in her mouth.
She is yelling really loud, "STAY AWAY FROM MY BABY YOU HIKERS! AND STOP SCARING DAD BEAR!"

The End.

Crazy Stuff

2011-08-27T07:10:00.000-06:00

picture found here

Some days I have thoughts that are completely irrational.

Like last Wednesday morning when I was getting ready to go running and I noticed a pair of white socks in the back of my drawer. I started to put them on and then I thought, what if I am in some sort of accident and they can't identify me? Allen would see my socks and say, "No, that's not my wife. She never wears white socks." Then I would be like Amelia Earhart, mysteriously gone forever with no explanation. So I put on some brown striped socks instead.

Once when I was washing the dishes I realized that I was washing all of the spoons first and I worried that the forks and knives might get jealous. So I washed them in a pattern: fork, knife, fork, knife, until all I had left were one fork, one knife and two spoons. I washed the spoons last to make amends with the forks and knives. I think we ended on good terms.

Sometimes when I come to a red light I move my mouth so it looks like I'm talking to someone in the backseat in case the person in the car next to me is watching. I'll even throw in a fake laugh so it looks like we're having a really great conversation. I do this because I don't want the complete stranger in the car next to me to look over and think that I'm boring, just sitting there waiting for the light to change.

I have decided that irrational thoughts make life much more exciting.

Nineteen And Counting

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Monday was our 19th anniversary. Allen and I decided to go out for dinner and to see a musical to celebrate. Good times! The kids had never done anything for our anniversary in the past, but when we got home on Monday night we saw this on our garage:

Glow sticks! I love the creativity. Upon closer inspection, we realized there was more to it:

Oodles of notes from the kids! The next morning I went out to get a better look.

What an awesome idea. We loved reading every single one. They ranged from profound:

to family jokes and stories:

Some were clever:

And some were painfully honest:

Of course there was a Star Wars reference:

(ElemenoB has a thing for Han Solo)

And some cute artwork:

But my favorites were the messages of love:

It doesn't get much better than that.

Back To School

2011-08-23T11:42:00.001-06:00

Holy mac and cheese! Where did the summer go?

The first day of school crept up on us and started yesterday. Crazy, crazy, crazy. I hope all their teachers enjoy every minute with my awesome kids because I am going to miss them like crazy at home. Crazy!!

I hope ElemenoB's teachers see past her quiet smile and get to know the side of her that drips with sarcasm and quick, witty comebacks. I want them to appreciate her mysterious love for Australia and her artistic abilities.

I hope Thumbelina's teachers will not only see a silly girl who likes to be overly expressive. I want them to appreciate how she accurately fits movie quotes into every conversation and bursts out in song on a whim. I hope they get to see the Thumbelina whose creativity is amazing.

I hope All-a-Boy's teachers can see past the smarty-pants kid who talks non-stop. I want them to really appreciate his vocabulary choices and the eye-roll that means he's secretly pleased. I hope they get to know the kid who is a natural leader and loyal friend. I hope they discover how much fun he can be.

I hope Cowgirl gets to be comfortable enough in her new class that her teacher can see past the quiet girl who wants to blend in and discover the outgoing, funny girl who wants to be noticed. I want her teacher to appreciate her sweetness and quirkiness, enjoy her clever side and recognize those certain looks she'll give to express her moods.

I want Princess' teacher to see past the nervous, shy person she can be and to recognize her craziness. I hope her teacher discovers what incredible expression she reads with. I want her to be so comfortable in her class that she will laugh out loud and smile with her teeth - even though she often tries to hide them.

(Her typical smile)

(Her real smile)

I really hope Hubba's teacher can look past his typical 6-year-old appreciation of bodily noises and his precociousness and see the kid who is ready to discover the world. I want his teacher to know of his love for learning and his desire to be friends with everyone. I hope she discovers his amazing arsenal of Star Wars vocabulary and hears his sweet singing voice.

I hope that, as my kids arrive home each afternoon, I will remember to take the time to talk to them about all of their school-time adventures. To sit and help each one with their homework and discover what they have learned. I want to appreciate all that their teachers have taught them while they have been away from home.

The first day of a new school year. Already.

Holy mac and cheese.

Leaving The Nest

2011-08-17T07:00:00.001-06:00

Coolister is getting ready to move out next week.

I have mixed feelings about it, but I won't bore you with my crazy roller coaster of emotions.

As he was packing his life up into suitcases and boxes I came down to his room to check in on him. I started to tell him that some of the things he had packed into storage boxes were unnecessary things he wouldn't care about. (I was told recently that this is called Helicopter Mom Syndrome. I prefer to call it 'intervention with love' - but I'm trying to quit. Really.)

There were some plastic flags torn from the finish chute at various races (I'll put those in my running journal), notes and schedules from some classes in high school (I can pass those along to some friends who are taking those classes), plastic dollar store trophies won in contests (But don't you think they're funny, Mom?), an intricate snowflake cut from printer paper (My friend David mailed that to me. It is NOT going in the trash!) and so on.

At one point he showed me a letter and pointed out that it was a note I had written him. He mentioned that he could tell me all about what it said without even opening it up and that he kept things like that because they meant something to him. My heart softened a bit.

He pulled out a thank you card and told me it was one I left on his bed a few years back.

And then he pulled out the bottom drawer of his dresser, gathered something hidden beneath it into his arms and turned to show me this:

Every lunch bag I had given him during his sophomore year of high school.

You should make these into a book or something, Mom - these were the best jokes, ever!

Do you think I should have thrown these away?

Maybe not.

I realized in that moment that he and I have something in common. We are both overly sentimental and hang on to silly objects that hold happy memories for us.

My oldest boy, who I always see so much of his father in, has a part of me in there, too.

I left the room and let him finish packing.

On his own.

I So Totally Rock, Dude!

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I started swimming lessons. This is a huge thing for me because I have never in my life learned to swim. I knew it would be embarrassing but I decided to swallow my pride and go for it. If I'm going to do the TriathaMom then I want to be as ready as I can be.

The first day of swim lessons I approached the check-in table and waited in line behind a few moms with their kids in tow. When I reached the table the lady asked if I had signed a waiver yet.

I told her I hadn't and she asked me, "What's the name?"

"Gerberta."

"Is she here with you?"

"Um... I am Gerberta."

"Oh... well, what is your child's name?"

"Well, I have a bunch of kids but none of them are taking lessons. I'm here for me. I'm signed up for adult lessons."

"Oooooooh! Okay!" *nervous laughter* "Well, you don't need to sign a waiver since you're over 18. Go ahead and go in."

"Thanks. But, ummm... how do I know where to find my teacher?" (Did I really just ask that?)

"Just ask at the table inside by the pool. They'll tell you where you need to be."

So, into the pool area I went. When I checked in at the poolside table the gal there told me, "Okay, Gerberta - your teacher is Sharon. You'll be in the Turtle class."

"I'll be what?!"

"If you just go wait under the turtle sign then your teacher will come and find you."

"I will do that. Thanks."

Seriously. Just like all of the cute little swimsuit-clad kiddos who were there for their swim lessons, I got to stand beneath a picture of a water creature and wait for my teacher. So, there I stood - next to the Nemo and Jellyfish classes of anxious 5 to 7 year olds - waiting for swim lessons to start. It was awesome.

Would you like to hear what makes swim lessons even better? When I signed up I was told that I would likely be the only student in the class, but it turns out that I have a classmate. His name is Kevin, he is from Beijing, China and he is a second year accounting student at our local university. We have some awesome conversations before and after class.

Kevin: "So, you have your own children?"
Me: "Yes, I do."
Kevin: "So, how many children do you have?"
Me: "Ten."
Kevin: *eyes like saucers, jaw on the floor* ". . . . "

He decided to sign up for swim lessons because he usually runs for exercise, but lately he is getting too sweaty. Kevin is my equal in swimming skills - which means our poor teacher has quite the task before her. I guess that's why she had an assistant helping her out after two days with Kevin and I floundering and splashing about in the lap lanes. Now we're getting some serious one-on-one.

There are quite a few things I have learned in the last week. First of all, wearing goggles makes it so much easier to swim. Seriously! When Sharon suggested goggles to me, I thought she was crazy. How in the world could wearing goggles help me swim better? But they totally do!

Also, I never would have guessed it, but I am a PRO at floating! The back float makes me laugh every time because of that feeling of complete weightlessness. The front float freaks me out because I feel like I'm playing dead.

The most important thing I have learned, though, is that I will NOT die if I swim with my face in the water. And when I need to breathe while swimming it's like barely lifting my face out of the water to deeply inhale the scent of my wet armpit. (That's what Sharon's assistant told me. I love her.)

So, one week of lessons down, one week to go, and I'm pleased to announce that the Turtle class is coming along ...swimmingly.

Give me some fin.

Pretty Witty

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

Not only does my cousin, Raylene, have amazing hairdresser skills - she also makes me smile.

What's Good For The Goose

2011-08-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

The training for this TriathaMom is totally kicking my trash! The other morning I was feeling completely frustrated that I can not run farther than half of a block. I kept thinking, "Why do I need to stop and rest so much?"

And then I looked out into the field.

Along the typical 2-mile route where I run there are quite a few hay fields. As I approached one I noticed there was something out there. The closer I got the clearer they became - a flock of geese. Not just one or two, but a whole field full of them. I had never seen anything like it before. I snapped a picture of them with my phone camera.

Can you see all of those dark brown shapes? Geese! It was awesome.

As I continued to shuffle down the street I started to think about those geese. What were they doing? Migrating? Out for a morning flight together? I had no idea. But this thought came to me:

I couldn't even walk 7 months ago and now I'm complaining about needing to walk when I want to be running? If geese, who are born to fly, have to stop and rest sometimes - then it's perfectly fine for me to do the same.

So, how's my training going? Amazing.

Seven Is A Lucky Number

2011-08-08T07:00:00.004-06:00

They are almost the same size!

It has been just over 7 months now since I broke my leg. Initially, the doctor told me that it would take about 6 months before I'd feel back to normal - but apparently he was just kidding. Actually, to be fair, I am doing immensely better than I was 7 months ago. I can walk. I can drive. I can carry my baby up and down stairs. I can do pretty much everything I need to in order to function. My scars are looking much less frankenstein-ish.

But so far, I still can't run farther than half a block. (And, honestly, calling it running is a bit of a stretch.)

Well, well, well. I don't like that voice in my head that tells me I can't do things. So when my friend Jenny wrote on her blog about an upcoming triathlon called TriathaMom and encouraged beginners to give it a shot, I started to think. And that darn voice in my head started to shoot me down every time. It went something like this:

Wow. A triathlon. I wonder if I could do that?

Are you kidding me? You can't run! You haven't ridden a bike in ages! And let's not even get started on the swimming part.

Yeah, I guess. But I looked into this triathlon and it said you could walk the swimming part if you had to because it's in an indoor pool. I can walk in a swimming pool, right?

Wouldn't you feel silly? I mean, walking when everyone around you is swimming? And what about the whole bike thing? You don't even own a bike!

Well, that's true. But ElemenoB does. I could borrow hers. And this triathlon is so low-key that I could just walk the bike if I had to.

Walk a bike for 12 miles? What are you, crazy?!

That does seem kind of crazy, doesn't it. But walking the 5K isn't too crazy.

If you want to just walk the whole thing, what's the point?! Why do it?

Because I like to prove to myself that I can do hard things. That's why. And I don't want to walk every event - but I could if I had to. I would just want to finish. That would be accomplishment enough for me.

So go away, voice in my head. You lose.

You see where this gets me? Now I have to do it. I can't let that negative voice in my head be right. I want to work towards something. I don't want this gimpy leg to control my life. I am going to do this thing. I'm going to run and bike and even put on a swimsuit and get in a pool. I'm going to work like crazy to whip myself into shape to the point where I can at least finish this thing.

TriathaMom? Here I come.

Finger-Lickin' Good

2011-08-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

photo here

We were eating fried chicken for dinner recently when Hubba asked,

"Who hunted these chickens?"

That's my boy.

Our Eagle

2011-08-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

Purchasing some supplies at Home Depot

We knew from the time that Coolister first became involved in Boy Scouts that we wanted him to earn the rank of Eagle but we wanted him to want it. He kept procrastinating - almost to the point where we didn't think he'd make it before the age cutoff - but he finally got serious and got to work.

Coolister debated a few different project ideas and finally decided to design and build bookshelves for a local elementary school. He was able to collect enough in donations that he built 5 bookshelves and also gave a generous gift card to Barnes and Noble with each one.

He worked hard - and with the help of his family and many great friends and neighbors he was able to deliver the bookshelves before his 18th birthday.

One requirement for his eagle application was to have a parent write him a letter of recommendation. I was lucky enough to be the one to do this, and here is what I wrote:

To Whom It May Concern:

How does a parent write a letter of recommendation for one of their children without coming across as biased and boastful? I’m not sure that it is possible. However, I do wish to emphasize that although the following letter will likely seem to contain the gushing recommendation that you would expect from a parent, words are inadequate in my attempt to describe what a remarkable young man our son truly is.

Many of the things I can think to include in this letter would likely be redundant because they will already be a part of the other information which is required as a part of his Eagle paperwork. I will do my best to give you a glimpse into what is not included elsewhere.

Coolister is the oldest of our ten children. Most teenage boys do not have much interest in their younger siblings; this is not the case with Coolister. As the oldest child he has shown genuine caring and leadership in his association with each of his siblings. We have been pleased with his example to them of one who sets and accomplishes goals, works hard in school and is a loyal and trustworthy friend.

When Coolister is faced with a challenge, he conquers it head-on and without discouragement. In March of 2010 Coolister suffered an extreme open dislocation of his ankle which required surgery and physical therapy to rehabilitate. As a talented cross-country runner this could have been devastating, especially when he was told that this injury would likely put him out of sports for a year. However, Coolister did not let this deter him from his goal of running in the State Championship Meet the following season. He was good-natured and positive throughout the whole ordeal. Coolister worked hard and recovered quickly, surprising his doctors and physical therapist, and trained all summer to be back on track for cross-country in the fall where he was able to reach his goal of competing at the state level.

Coolister proved that he not only knew the words to the scout oath, but lived them as well, when his youngest brother was born last December. I slipped on ice and broke both bones in my lower leg three weeks before the baby was expected to arrive. When I came home from the hospital with a newborn baby and orders to stay in bed for 6 weeks, Coolister was a great help to our family. He never complained when asked to shop for groceries, run errands, help prepare meals, change diapers, or shuttle his younger siblings to their various activities.

At first sight, Coolister can come across as a fun-loving, silly kid. However, behind the scenes, as his mom, I get to see the side that many others don't. My son has a heart of gold. He is quick to forgive, always one to help others feel included and he is filled with a light that comes from really knowing who he is and what he has the potential to become.

As stated in the beginning of this letter, I feel that my words are inadequate. I am sure I could continue to write volumes and still not feel as though I have sufficiently helped you to know what really makes our son who he is. How can I summarize nearly 18 years of a life well-lived into one short letter?

Suffice it to say that I wholeheartedly recommend our son, Coolister, as a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.

Thank you,

Gerb

We are still awaiting the final word but the local council approved his application with "absolutely no reservation". Awesome job, Coolister!

My Own Camp Experience

2011-08-02T07:00:00.003-06:00

Last week was another week for my two oldest girls to attend their summer Young Women's Camp up at MIA Shalom. I was able to remain involved in helping to plan the camp, including writing some fun cheers for the Adult Camp Leaders to perform at each flag ceremony. (Cheering about the inevitable clogged *biffy to the tune of 'Thriller', anyone? I love coming up with this stuff.) However, Baby X and I would not have survived without each other this time around so I remained here at home.

I was a bit melancholy as I rushed my girls out the door on Tuesday morning to board the buses that would transport them up to camp. As I stepped out the door I found a colorful bag waiting for me. I love surprises! I couldn't wait to get back home and peek inside.

Here is what I found:

A camp sweatshirt, a clipboard with each day's schedule and activities, a box of treats, a whole bunch of envelopes and a sweet note from my thoughtful friend Michelle who had put it all together for me.
Each envelope was labeled with a day and a time when I was to open it. Inside each one was a quote tag which corresponded with whatever was happening at that time. We collect these tags on keyrings each year. I was so excited that I would still have this year's tags to add to my collection!

Throughout the day on Tuesday I found myself looking at the schedule to see what was going on up at camp. By lunch time I decided that I was going to have my own camp experience! I tried to do something which corresponded with what was going on at camp right here at home each day.

I studied my scriptures during Scripture Study time. I let the kids play in the kiddie pool in our backyard during Waterfront. I watched some uplifting Mormon Messages during Golden Hours. I sang some songs with my kids during the Musical Morningside and Singing Around the Lake. The night of the Star Party I put on my camp sweatshirt and sat on my back porch to gaze at the heavens once my kids were snug in bed. I even did biffy duty daily! And throughout each day I opened my envelopes and enjoyed reading my tags.

When my girls came home on Saturday ElemenoB told me that camp was awesome - but she likes it better when I'm there. (Which of course totally made my day.) I could say the same thing about my week. It was awesome to feel the spirit of camp here in my home, but I am already looking forward to next year when I get to actually be there again.

*biffy = Bathroom In Forest For You. Or at least that's what the girls tell me.

One For The Star Wars Fans

2011-07-31T08:00:00.002-06:00

I found this in my freezer last week.

When I asked the kids about it I was told in a very matter-of-fact tone that they were re-enacting the scene in Star Wars where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite.

Awesome.

Train Town Break Down

2011-07-29T08:00:00.004-06:00

We made our way back home from Texas in a marathon two day trip. One small town we had noticed on our way to Texas (can't remember the name of it, but I'm sure Allen can tell me. I think it was near the border of Colorado?) was some sort of historical train stop - so, with train lovers in our family, we decided to make it a quick pit-stop on our way back.

At this point in the trip, we had already driven for one day straight, stopped at a hotel overnight, done some more marathon driving (stopping only for gas) and were still not very close to home. You know the drill - fussy baby wants out of his carseat, cries of how much longer? and he's breathing my air! and can I eat something? and I'm bored! Let's just say this - patience was not my strong suit.

I just wanted a dang picture of my smiling family. NORMAL SMILES. Was that too much to ask?

As I continued to snap photos of my family I became increasingly frustrated that they would not JUST SMILE NORMAL ALREADY!

I believe I may have even told one of my children *cough* ElemenoB *cough* that someday I hoped she would look back on all the pictures I have of her over the last two years or so and wish she had not made THOSE RIDICULOUS FACES!!

They seemed to feed on my frustration.

And then... FINALLY! they realized that I was not kidding. I was annoyed. So I got a good shot! No goofy faces.

And then I looked closer as I scrolled through my pictures and noticed that Cowgirl was plugging her nose in my one 'normal shot'.

That was it. The last straw.

I could feel the emotion rising as my mouth started to twitch. NO! I thought to myself. For some reason, when I am in an awkward or uncomfortable situation where I want to cry or scream, my emotions play tricks on me. I don't get why I do this, but it happens every time.

So I did what I had to do.

I turned around and covered my mouth as the laughter escaped me, hoping that none of them would see or hear it. (They totally heard it. I could see it in their smug faces as we all climbed back into our van for the remainder of our long drive home.)

But you know what's really funny? As I was creating this post and looking at these snapshots, I was totally laughing. These pictures are a perfect portrayal of my crazy family. I think it's even funnier that I was so mad at them for not being NORMAL. When have I ever been normal?

Exactly.

Texas Tea Party

2011-07-27T17:00:00.000-06:00

The day that our families went to the Astros game one of my nieces had a church activity where a tea party was planned. She really wanted to go but some of us would have to stay behind. I suggested that we have a tea party at their house instead and everyone was happy with that - even the older girls who we let create and prepare the food.

While the princesses went to find proper attire for such an occasion (including clothes for all of the little princes) the girls prepared this feast:

When they were called down for their tea party each princess was escorted down by a young prince.

Once they were seated the older girls served each guest their finger foods...

...which all proper royalty knew to eat with their pinkies up.

Okay, some ate with their pinkies down. But whatever. They were sure cute doing it.

And, honestly, what tea party is complete without chocolate milk and bendy straws?

And they all lived happily ever after.

Elk Ranch

2011-07-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Cutest little cowpokes you ever did see!

One of my favorite places to spend some time when we visit Texas is Elk Ranch. This is some property owned by Allen's brother, Troy, and his family. It is like a little piece of heaven on earth because there is something for everyone. If you want to sit back and watch a movie or read a book, you can hang out in the ranch house. If you want to get outside and play, there is ziplining, fishing, canoeing, and plenty of exploring to be done.

Chow time!

Where the ranch gets its name - this impressive herd of elk roam the grounds.

Uncle Troy and Baby X

One of the cousins shows them how the zipline is done

Ready for a canoe ride

Coolister and Little O

Ziplining over the pond

Bighorn sheep

Allen and Coolister

All-a-boy loved the zipline

These cuties loved going for rides on the Polaris

Allen decided to cool off with All-a-Boy

Coolister became the non-official guy in charge of canoe rides

Did I mention that All-a-Boy loved the zipline?

Stewart Beach

2011-07-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of the days on our Texas trip we drove to Galveston for a fun day at the beach. The cool thing about this beach is that you can walk out into the water forever and still touch the bottom. Another major difference between the ocean in Texas and the one I'm used to in southern California is that the water is warm here so you can just walk right in without any hesitation (or goosebumps).

I didn't think to pull out my camera until we had already been there for quite awhile. I mention this in case you think I have some sort of bias against my older girls. There are no pictures of them because they were too far out in the water or searching for seashells along the shoreline somewhere.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Astros Game

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

When Allen was a kid he was on a little league team called The Astros and they have been one of his favorite baseball teams ever since.

When we were in the Houston area visiting two of Allen's brothers and their families we all went to an Astros game together. Let me just say that I am not one of those fun moms who likes to take her kids places. I tend to just go crazy counting to ten every 5 minutes to make sure everyone is accounted for when we're in a public place - so I prefer to just stay home where I'm in my element and everyone is confined. I say depriving kids gives them character. Right?

Well, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and join my family out at the ballgame. And you know what? I'm glad I did. If you ignore the repeated trips up and down the stairs to get to the bathroom with the youngest couple of kids in the bunch, it was actually a pretty fun time.

We got to visit and the kids had fun cheering and trying their hardest to be noticed by the camera operators who made people feel famous up on the huge video board. (No luck there, but it was sure fun trying.)

Oh, and I'm pretty sure some of the guys actually watched the game, too.

Go Astros!